A California cactus garden, all planted in pots

Picture windows in Kurt Kamm's living room offer views of the potted cactus garden and the Pacific beyond. It's a vibrant landscape, even though he doesn't have an inch of ground into which to plant.

Picture windows in Kurt Kamm's living room offer views of the potted cactus garden and the Pacific beyond. It's a vibrant landscape, even though he doesn't have an inch of ground into which to plant. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Kamm's two dogs, Sierra and Lucy, have free run of the long terrace and are smart enough to avoid the cactus thorns. Hummingbirds are drawn to the cactus flowers, he says, and blue jays frequently perch on the plants.

Kamm's two dogs, Sierra and Lucy, have free run of the long terrace and are smart enough to avoid the cactus thorns. Hummingbirds are drawn to the cactus flowers, he says, and blue jays frequently perch on the plants. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Author Kurt Kamm says he has a severe brown thumb, but his terrace garden in Malibu is a vibrant palette of color, pattern and texture thanks to low-maintenance potted cactuses and succulents -- 112 of them at last count.